Kiyoshi stood in front of the bed in a spacious room. On the bed lay a bandaged Raiser, and next to his bed were his mother and sister. While the women sat anxiously next to the sick man, trying to support him, Lord Phenex and the eldest sons dealt with the commotion that arose from the battle that had taken place and the cancellation of the wedding.
The half-demon saw in front of him not the self—confident blond, but a broken guy immersed in self-digging. This did not please Zankok and he decided to intervene:
— Well, why are you so weak like a rag? — the cold words of the young man spread throughout the room. — Lying here and crying. Aren't you sick yourself?
— You… — Ravel's attempt to yell and drive out her new relative was stopped by her mother's hand. The woman with a serious face looked straight into Kiyoshi's eyes, waiting for the young man's further words.
— Did you really want to marry that red-haired girl that much?
— Who needs that idiot?! — Raiser shouted. — If it weren't for that damn agreement, I wouldn't even look at her. It was my duty as a member of the Phenex family.
Kiyoshi smiled at his reaction and continued, — Then stop complaining. Learn a lesson from everything that happened and move forward proudly.
— What lesson? — The demon's anger died down. — How can you fight something like dragons? We're too weak compared to those creatures.
— I agree. Dragons are very strong. It's not for nothing that the two strongest creatures in this world are the Dragon Gods. But, Raiser, you're wrong about one thing. — Zankoku stood in front of him. — Don't confuse a real dragon with a mechanism with a soul sealed inside it.
— What are you talking about?
— Hyoudou Issei isn't a dragon, — the half-demon said firmly. — He's just a nobody with a boosted mechanism inside of him. — Yes, the Longinus is a powerful thing, but it depends entirely on the strength of the carrier. And Rias's pawn is a weakling and a loser, — Kiyoshi said all this looking straight into the blond's eyes. — He couldn't awaken the Balance Breaker on his own and so he sacrificed his arm for it. But even with that, Hyodo couldn't handle you. Understand, Raiser, you defeated him in battle, but you relaxed and lost to a trick. Thanks to the dragon arm, the loser was able to use the weakness of all demons — sacred things.
Kiyoshi watched with a smile as the former spark of confidence flared up in Phenex's gaze.
— You're right! — throwing the blanket aside, he stood up, ignoring his sister's protests. — I thought too much. All that's left is to wait a couple of days until the effect of the holiness wears off.
Due to the mechanism's reinforcement, it was not possible to remove the holiness from Raiser's body. According to the doctor, it takes time for the flame to burn it out. Well, for now the blond had to endure the constant pain from the presence of the "poison" in his body.
— I can help you with that, — Zankoku smiled and put his hand on his uncle's head.
Due to his own mechanism, Kiyoshi had learned to control the holy element. Like when he loaded his bullets in the rating game. Now the half-demon, using his control, removed all the holiness from his relative's body. Thus allowing natural regeneration to do its job. The fire burned the bandages, revealing an undamaged face to everyone.
— How? — Lady Phenex asked in amazement, voicing the thoughts of those present.
— Let's say it this way, — Kiyoshi smiled sarcastically, — there are advantages to being a human.
Without saying another word on the matter, Zankoku decided to end the evening. Having said goodbye, the half-demon teleported to his home. After briefly recounting what had happened, he went to bed hugging Shirone.
"Too much has happened lately. I'm tired, — Kiyoshi thought as he gradually fell asleep. — I'll take a break for a week or two. Spend time with my family. Kumiko was just saying that she wanted to attend some event with her favorite heroine from a children's show."
***
Serafall Leviathan's Pov
— I am fed, — I blurted out after filling out another document. Looking at the large stack of papers with work already done and two more that still needed to be done, my head started to hurt. — That's enough! I'm done for today. No more paperwork.
When the civil war happened, I didn't expect that after it ended, I would spend most of my time sorting through documents. And lately, there's been more work. Horrible! And the main culprit for this is Sirzechs. Because of his prank, the reputation of the Phenex family has suffered. After what happened, they stopped supporting the power of the new rulers, becoming a neutral party.
I'm not only worried about losing such a valuable resource as phoenix tears, but also about them going over to the old lords' side purely for revenge. You're a fool, Sirzechs. You couldn't think of anything better than interfering with the ceremony and forcing the groom and Rias's servant to fight. Great Lucifer, he had years to prevent this wedding, and he did nothing. He could have at least taught his sister how to handle her power of destruction. I saw what Sirzechs was capable of during the war, and Rias is just a baby in comparison.
Even though I don't like his actions, I would have done a lot for Sonochka too. But because of the obvious favoritism towards the Gremory heiress, many people were dissatisfied, and the old men took advantage of this by fueling such rumors. It's infuriating! They could have killed them all, as I suggested, and not suffered, but no. We are all "good", as if they weren't the ones leaving behind mountains of corpses. Hypocrites!
— Okay, enough! Calm down, Sera, — after taking a few deep breaths in front of the mirror, a smile appeared on my face again. — Forget about all the nonsense. Better get ready for the upcoming holiday.
Opening the closet, a whole world of diverse colorful clothes appeared in front of me. I need to pick the best outfit, because there will be a lot of fans there. A magical girl cannot disappoint her fans!
***
— Bye-bye. Good luck to you!
Having said goodbye to another fan of magical girls, I continued to look around the exhibition. A huge pavilion was rented for today's event. Three whole floors are filled with various stands where you can find whatever your heart desires. There were also cosplayers here. Many people put on costumes of both movie and anime heroes, as well as characters from games and books.
For several hours now, I have been walking around the building, periodically taking pictures and chatting with fans. This kind of pastime allows me to forget about work, resting my soul.
— Wow, it's the sorceress girl Levia! A real one! — a child's voice was heard from behind me.
— Yes, yes. It's me! — turning to meet the little fan, I noticed a cute girl running towards me. Her black hair was decorated with cat ears, and a tail was looming behind her back.
— What is the name of this little cat?
Stroking the girl's head, I realized that these were not accessories at all. Taking a closer look, I noticed that the tail was moving too realistically.
— My name is Kumiko and I always watch your show, — the nekomata spoke happily. — Can you give me your autograph? — she asked, making a cute face.
— Of course! — Taking the extended notebook and pen, I began to put my signature as usual.
While Kumiko was distracted, I released demonic energy, deciding to take a closer look at this girl, but at the same moment I froze in place. A feeling of danger completely paralyzed me. I had not experienced anything like this even during the war, when my life could end at any moment.
— Did something happen? — asked the little girl, noticing the unusual behavior of the idol.
— N-no. Everything is fine.
Carefully feeling around the surroundings, I, to my surprise, discovered the source of the threat. It turned out to be Kumiko, or rather the unusual decoration on her hand.
— Here, take it, — I handed my signature to the joyful girl. — Where did you get this bracelet?
— This one? — the nekomata stretched out her hand, where two black snakes were intertwined around the wrist, biting their own tails. — This is a gift from my sister. She said that it will protect me in case of danger and drive away evil people.
— Ha-ah-ha, — I couldn't help but laugh nervously. This thing can really protect her, because even me, the Demon Lord, is afraid of the bracelet. And the energy emanating from the decoration is vaguely familiar. — Can you tell me about your sister, who gave you this beautiful gift?
— Of course, but I can just introduce you. My sister came with me, — having said this, the girl began to look around in search of someone. Having found her target, she waved her hands. — Sis Ophis, come here. Levia-chan wants to meet you.
Looking in the direction the girl was going, I saw a short, dark—haired girl. From the side, they really could be mistaken for relatives, but when I met her eyes, I was overcome with primal horror. It was then that I remembered the source of that energy, whose name Kumiko had called — Ophis, the Dragon God of Infinity.
— You shouldn't run away from me, Kumiko, — the girl said sternly, approaching them. — Do you even know what will happen if something happens to you? Kiyoshi will leave no stone unturned here.
— Buu, — the girl pouted, — don't talk about dad like that. He's a good guy.
— Okay, just don't run away anymore, — Ophis didn't argue with the cutely frowning kitten, pulling her into her arms. — So this is the magical girl you rushed here for?
— Yeah. She liked your bracelet.
All this time, while the couple was talking to each other, I tried to seem as inconspicuous as possible. But those cold eyes were directed at me again. Suppressing a shudder, I decided to speak:
— H-Hello. I'm the magical girl Levia-chan. Nice to meet you, Ophis-chan.
I barely managed to suppress a squeak when she frowned at the mention of her name.
— Ophis, — the girl replied, looking at me intently. I felt as if she was looking straight into my soul. — Kumiko, let me talk to her for a while.
— Okay, but don't linger, — the girl replied, walking away to the popular anime stand.
— So, — the kindness disappeared from her voice. Her face began to show an arrogant expression and some disdain, — What did you want to do with her, bat?
Swallowing the drool that had accumulated, I tried to answer:
— I-i just wanted to scan her. Nothing more.
— Hmm… — I froze for a moment, waiting for an answer. — Okay, I believe you. You're lucky that your show is so popular, Kumiko. Otherwise, I would have just gotten rid of you.
I broke out in a cold sweat. My hobby saved my life today.
— Listen here, demon. You will forget everything that happened here today. If anyone finds out about me or Kumiko, then you, your family and everyone dear to you will die in terrible agony. Understand?
Due to the overwhelming emotions, the words stuck in my throat and I could only nod like a dummy.
— Don't forget my words.
When the figure of the two dark-haired girls dissolved into the crowd, my legs could no longer support me. My body slowly sank to the ground. Looking at my still trembling hands, laughter burst out of me. The nervous tension gradually passed, and I headed to the rest room to fully come to my senses.
Taking a small sip of strong alcohol, I tried to comprehend what had happened. Firstly, I could have died today, but I remained alive. Secondly, the Infinite Dragon God had changed. And I'm not just talking about external factors, like the old man changing his appearance to a young girl, but also internal ones. Previously, Ophis completely ignored everyone. He was only interested in the spatial rift. Now everything has changed. What I saw allows me to say that Ophis now experiences emotions and has become more —human.— She also cares a lot about the nekomata Kumiko. The girl's father's name seems familiar. Where could I have heard it? After a moment of thought, I jumped up.
Kiyoshi Zankoku is the leader of Hyakki Yakou, and is known to have two nekomata and a daughter as wives. And now, this guy who is closely connected to Ophis lives in the same city as Sona! No. Calm down. You can't make rash decisions. If I show up and just take So-chan to the underworld, questions will arise. The answers to which may be the last in my life. You shouldn't take the threat of a creature that can destroy you at the whim of a thought lightly.
However, it is necessary to warn my sister to be more careful with Kiyoshi. It is better not to become an enemy with such a person. It is decided! It is time to visit Sonochka! Besides, I should stop holding back and become more decisive. Today has shown that life can end at any moment. There is no need to leave regrets. Regardless of the result, I need to confess to Sonya.
— So-chan, I am coming to you! – with this cry, she activated the transfer circle to the office of the student council of Kuoh Academy.
End Pov